Xintian thrives for vinegar water tofu
2024-06-27
The production technique of Xintian vinegar water tofu has been listed among the sixth batch of Hunan provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative projects. It is made from Xintian soybeans with rich selenium and high protein. It goes through eight processes, namely, material selection, soaking, grinding, filtering, boiling, adding vinegar water, coagulation, and deep frying.
According to Luo Pujun, a representative inheritor of the production technique of Xintian vinegar water tofu, vinegar water is a kind of enzyme water made from mustard and cabbage every winter solstice. Compared with traditional tofu, vinegar water tofu made with unique homemade enzyme water is softer, more tender, and not easily crumbled.
After deep frying, the freshly cooked Xintian vinegar water tofu looks like a “small gold nugget”. Sprinkled with a layer of salt or chili powder, it will be a refreshing snack. In the past, Xintian vinegar water tofu was mainly made by local farmers during the Chinese New Year. It was also made by small vendors. With small production, it was usually sold nearby.
Luo Pujun has sought advice from villagers with rich experience in making tofu, made vinegar water tofu into snacks with a variety of flavors, and sell it nationwide through consignment, express delivery, and cold chain logistics.
“At present, nearly 700 kilograms of tofu can be produced in the processing workshop per day, and 32 local villagers get jobs, with an average monthly salary of over 3,000 yuan,” said Luo Pujun.
As the raw material of vinegar water tofu, Xintian soybeans are a national geographical indication product. The vinegar water tofu, soybean milk and soymilk produced with Xintian soybeans are fragrant and unique. In order to promote the common prosperity of the people, Xintian County has selected high-yield and high-quality varieties suitable for planting in the county through the soybean variety comparison experiment, and promoted high-yield and high-efficiency technologies to improve the yield of soybeans.
In 2024, 68,000 mu (about 4533.33 hectares) of soybeans will be planted in Xintian County, with an expected yield of 160 kilograms per mu (about 0.067 hectares).
